Originally published in Minnesota Sun Post “Wait, so why do you have to starve yourself?” is the question I would always get during Ramadan at my school. I would have to explain that keeping away from food is only a part of the fast. During Ramadan, Muslims turn away from food, as a means to detach from the physical world. Doing so allows us to focus on our spiritual well-being as well...
Originally published in The Star-Telegram & Dallas Morning News According to former Gov. Mike Huckabee, Islam promotes “murderous mayhem” and rioting on its holiest days. As an American Muslim, I am not shocked that he did not cite a verse from the Quran. I mean, after all, it is tough to cite such an accusation from a religion which literally is defined as “religion of peace.” If Gov...
Originally published in Duluth News Tribune I was starving. I hadn’t eaten for almost 17 hours. And finally, when I got to eat, it felt so good. That’s how I completed my fast last Friday. More than 1 billion Muslims are fasting these days because it is the holy month of Ramadan. Fasting is obligatory for all healthy adult Muslims from sunrise to sunset for the whole month. Though I am not an...
Originally published in Oshkosh Northwestern A Muslim will never find a major difference between the words “Night of Power” and “Night of Destiny” because both describe a night of spiritual empowerment. The way to attain it is through an arduous effort of prayer and meditation during the last ten days of Ramadan. Recently, CNN changed this whole context by the story on the recent worldwide terror...
Originally published in The Daily Caller Al Qaeda, Taliban extremists, and Mike Huckabee have at least one thing in common — all believe Islam is a violent religion. In a recent tirade, Huckabee wondered, “why it is that we tiptoe around a religion that promotes the most murderous mayhem on the planet in their so-called holiest days. … the most likely time to have an uprising of rock...
Originally published in Akron Beacon Journal As an American Muslim, I am blessed to be able to have an abundant source of food and water that I can gladly have access to every day. During the holy month of Ramadan, however, it is prescribed that I give up this liberty of having any nourishment whatsoever from dawn to sunset — aside from a meal before sunrise. Why? It is because fasting...
Originally published in The Express Tribune I was putting my shoes on, leaving for my evening prayers, when my phone buzzed with a text: “Saw a CNN byline linking ‘Night of Power’ to the recent terror alert. Talk of sensationalism.” You know how it goes. The story was largely accurate – prompted by fears of a terrorist attack, in an unprecedented move on Sunday; the US closed 21 embassies across...
Originally published in Milwaukee Sentinel Journal July 9 marked the first day of the month of Ramadan in the Muslim lunar calendar, and with its beginning millions of Muslims worldwide embarked on a spiritual journey to last 30 days. While some regard the abstention of food and drink for 15 hours a day as an incredible challenge, especially given the hot summer months, for Muslims the...
Originally published in Huffington Post Who can decipher the mind of a terrorist? In the post 9/11 America, there is a dollar-spending, ink-spilling, competition between the government and the academia to answer this question. The faith of the terrorist in the above question is typically implied while the magnitude of the problem — less than 0.1 percent of the world’s Muslims...
Originally published in Loudoun Times Mirror Muslims across the world will be celebrating Eid-ul-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice). This occasion requires Muslims to sacrifice an animal in which one-third of the meat is given to the poor, one-third is given to the neighbors and one-third is kept for the household. As an American Muslim, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all...